The Funniest Video On The Commercial Advertising Process…And It’s Reality In The Political World

This video was made to point out the idiocy of many marketing and branding campaigns. The unfortunate reality is that this video is all too true. Ever wonder how some of the truly boneheaded moves get made in the commercial world? Well, watch this and you’ll see how the same damn boneheaded moves get made in our political world. My views after the video…

As someone who has acted as staffer, quasi-campaign manager and consultant this video a reality that few admit. It also shows why I don’t get hired very often. I’m known for not having any patience, or polite reactions, after the first 2 or 3 idiotic suggestions. People know I just don’t participate in those discussions. And I’ve been know to throw people out of the meetings.

Do you have any idea of how bad it can get? A few years ago we were filming a series of congressional candidate commercials. I had taken a back seat to a “campaign team” from a famous blogsphere campaign. In the studio, the new female comm director decides we should have a diffent script and comes running in, ruining a pretty good take, waving a new script. The highly experienced director, who had only had two award winning hits on Broadway, quietly started banging his head on the wall. I asked her how long the script timed out.

She was puzzled and said, and I quote,”I don’t know. It’s just a few lines.” She honestly didn’t know. At that point the director started to moan. I took the script as politely as possible and said I would time it out for her. It was horrible. Simply horrible. So I told everyone to take a 20 minute break. I was acting far above my pay grade as I was on staff too but the candidate trusted me.

While others gave oxygen to the director, I wrote an entirely new script and timed it as if the candidate was speaking slowing, mid-speed or quickly. As we reconvened, now that I was the bastard of the day in the eyes of the ‘famous’ but inexperienced staff, the director made a few changes to the script, banned everyone but me from the studio and we finished the series of commercials within a half an hour.

That ‘communications person’ went from our campaign, after storming out indigently, and was hired as a regional director by the DCCC. Thereafter she hooked up with the Edwards campaign and became one of their spokespeople. I will give her credit in that she must have learned a lot as she sounded reasonably coherent.

There are few people who get that campaign communications must originate from a single strategic viewpoint, speak coherently from that viewpoint and understand that they can’t make everyone happy. Hillary Clinton’s campaign in 2008, as well as John Kerry’s and Wes Clark’s in 2004 are perfect examples of campaign’s that had too many cooks and not enough chef’s. <sigh> I believe that Hillary Clinton figured for herself it out late in her campaign and took over her own messaging. It was, however, too late.

6 Responses to The Funniest Video On The Commercial Advertising Process…And It’s Reality In The Political World

Sign on door…. This campaign commerical has already been paid for. Ball in play,don’t interupt the game plan agreed , to begin with. Time is money ! We don’t need a technical foul called ! You’re to late for revise and catch you on the next one. Ballgame is in over time,don’t foul out ! A single strategic view point ? That’s not happening in any of this ! One strategic view point ? Go ask before you think you know? Call the play and run it ! No fouls and no technicals ! Eliminate confusion so that millions understand and clarify with details on how, with your explanation of a complicated issue. Clinton was great at that and Obama needs help with it. This is the objective and this is how we do it ! How do you get millions to identify with the objective that don’t know what you’re talking about and understand your one strategic point of view ? They talk or sell to much about the issue and don’t point out how they will run the play in detail. It causes confusion in compare and contrast, cause no one knows how Obama or McCain is going to implement their plan. We see the issues,now how will you do it ?

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ! 100 Days of ACTION ! http://www.dcc,org and send more money ! The deal is, they’ll double what you send ! The stakes are high ! Al Gore is calling the play an he’s direct and clear ! Crystal clear !

Obama needs someone in a polar bear costume connecting to energy independence ! Call Al Gore to clarify characterization, identifcation on the issue objective. What is on the sign the polar bear is holding to help create awareness and understanding with the general public ? Needs to tie in with Gore ! Special event for Obama ? That’d make the news and reinforce Obama’s position on energy independence and innovation. Looking but can’t find a polar bear costume mean enough and realistic. Not to mean but serious ! MGM could figure it out on the costume. Get the polar bear on that bus to register to vote. That’s my two cents for a connecton made on energy indpendence.

Bus web site rolling to inspire registration for votes needed is now up and running. Appreciate all donations ! Somebody go get beam me up Scottie on the back stage donations website and you’re losing money for Denver. $25.oo lost in the the twilight zone ! ET better not have my credit card number !

They’re selecting 10 and flying you into Denver for a back stage pass to meet Obama. They made a commerical video and it’s not connecting for donations on the web site. Try again and technical difficulties ! If you won ,what question would you ask ? Will you consider 100% on energy independence and Al Gore’s challenge? McCain is at 70% and Obama is at 80%, the last I heard.

Google dropped a neo-Nazi site from its domain-registration service like a hot potato https://t.co/bL0DPT0L1pabout 3 days ago

Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville? https://t.co/Qs0FmLqfxIabout 3 days ago

Fair Use

The Democratic Daily encourages Fair Use of all "copyrighted" materials. All rights are reserved to the individual contributors of The Democratic Daily. Please contact each individual author for details.